1. Technical Field
The present invention concerns a reactor suitable for performing reactions with air sensitive and/or moisture sensitive substances, in particular catalysts. The present invention especially concerns autoclaves, i.e. reactors wherein syntheses may be carried out under pressure or in vacuum.
2. Background Art
Several reactors have already been proposed for performing reactions under exclusion of air and/or moisture and under pressure, e.g. for the synthesis of certain polymers.
One of the solutions of the state of the art concerns an autoclave with a septum provided at the autoclave directly, through which it may be filled with air sensitive and/or moisture sensitive substances by injection, followed by pressurizing. This embodiment has the advantage that it is cheap and can easily be realized. However, it also bears the disadvantage that injection cannot take place under pressure and that the whole autoclave has first to be rendered inert, i.e. air and/or moisture have to be removed, which is very time consuming.
In an alternative solution the whole reactor is placed in a glovebox, filled, closed and the reaction is performed either in the glovebox or out of it. This procedure has the advantage of an absolute exclusion of air and/or moisture, but also the disadvantages that a glovebox is needed and that performing a reaction in a glovebox is expensive and time-consuming.
Other reactors that are cheap and simple bear the disadvantage that the reaction medium cannot be fully shielded from contact with air and/or moisture. For example such reactors comprise a septum (pre-pierced) and are subsequently pressurized or they are provided with a check valve and are subsequently pressurized in a pressure vessel.
Thus, there is still a need for an improved reactor/autoclave that enables the performance of reactions under exclusion of air and/or moisture and under overpressure or reduced pressure/vacuum and that does not have the mentioned disadvantages.